TPCF 93

CHAPTER 93…………………………

“You really are drunk.”

“No, I’m not.”

“This time, you…”

She should have replied firmly that she wasn’t, but her eyelids kept drooping. Though she was sure the receiver was pressed to her ear, his voice sounded distant. The strength in her hand slowly faded.

“I miss you, Rutger.”

Anita’s blinking slowed. Her eyelids felt heavy. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a yawn. Even if she could hold back the yawn, she couldn’t stop the drowsiness pressing down on her.

“Anita? What did you just say…?”

He seemed to be saying something on the other end of the line, but the words no longer reached her ears.

“Anita Rodel.”

The receiver slipped from her hand and fell with a soft thud.

“What the… Why is this on the floor?”

Coming into the villa building to take a short break, Lilliana spotted the fallen receiver. She grabbed the phone cord and pulled, but it only grew taut, as if something heavy were hanging on the other end.

Wondering what was going on, Lilliana bent down to look under the table where the phone sat.

“Anita…?”

Anita Rodel was asleep in the corner, clutching the receiver as if it were something precious.

Lilliana carefully pulled the receiver from Anita’s arms. Just as she was about to put it back on the phone cradle, the line crackled with static.

“Hello?”

— …….

“What, did it get disconnected?”

— Lilliana?

“…Who’s this?”

— Is your memory bad, or is your perception slow?

“Oh, Rutger Beilan. That snide tone of yours is unforgettable.”

— Let’s skip the sarcasm. Where are you right now?

“When I invited you, you turned me down flat, and now you’re suddenly clingy? What’s with that?”

Rutger was silent for a moment.

— I’ll do your assignments for the entire semester. How’s that?

“That’s a tempting offer…”

Drawing out her answer, Lilliana glanced sideways at Anita, still asleep on the floor. It seemed clear that Rutger wanted to come here because of her.

No way she was going to waste such a perfect opportunity.

A sly smile curved her lips.

“No matter how well you do my assignments, it won’t matter if you bomb your exams, right?”

— …….

“If you don’t like it, fine. Unless you think you can find a villa a hundred kilometers from Aberdeen all on your own.”

— A villa about a hundred kilometers from Aberdeen, near the sea… That’d be in the southern region, so probably somewhere in the Eugene area? And owned by the Lifton family.

“You…”

— I’m hanging up.

“Wait!”

Lilliana grabbed the receiver with both hands in panic.

“Hey, what’s your problem? It’s not like I’m asking you to take my exams! Just the assign—”

Click.

The line went dead.

The next morning, Anita woke up looking disheveled. Her eyes blinked slowly as she looked around.

‘Where am I again?’

Her half-awake mind couldn’t recall what had happened the previous night. After staring blankly around the unfamiliar room for a while, she pinched her cheek hard.

“Ow.”

It hurt, but it worked—the fog in her head cleared. Then, all at once, she remembered the phone call with Rutger.

She had definitely let her emotions get the better of her. She should have thought before speaking.

But what was said couldn’t be unsaid.

Still, it wasn’t like she’d have to see him anytime soon. That was some comfort.

Getting out of bed, Anita staggered toward the terrace. The cool sea breeze washed away the last of her sleepiness.

Unlike the noisy dinner the night before, breakfast was calm. Since many people had been invited to Lilliana’s villa, the meal was being held in the garden. Anita found an empty seat, and the waiters brought her a menu.